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Jun 23 Sarah from Poppy in Singapore

Kelly Perry - 00:00 - You are listening to the Team Flower podcast where we talk about flowers and the people who've dedicated their lives to sharing them with the world. My name is Kelly, founder of Team Flower, and I'll be your host today. Can a moment with the poppy flower, change your life? It did for today's special guest. In this episode, we're chatting with Sarah from poppy, Flora and nature studio in Singapore. Sarah is inspiring a creative life in her community through two of her core offerings of flower, bar and poppy market day. It's here that people can choose and arrange flowers that they love and are inspired by. You'll hear about her collaborations with Kate spade in a fun fashion forward diy flower project you can try at home with friends or kids. Are you considering an apprenticeship program for your business? Learn how Sarah has approached this with great success and found talented support for her business along the way here about her flower school and opportunities to study abroad in Singapore.

Kelly Perry - 00:58 - It's all right here on the Team Flower podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Team Flower. If you work with flowers in any capacity, welcome home. We're happy to share resources and connect you to flower. Friends, world over. I believe our work with flowers is a part of waking up hope and passion inside of the people who see them. I believe our work can be a driving force in dropping depression and anxiety statistics. I believe we can be leaders in taking care of the earth. An excellent artist. I think if we work together, we can be known in the world. Economy is a leader in customer service and care. I also believe that when we work together, we can like Sarah, play a pivotal role in exposing the world to, but she believes that love and affinity with nature deepens our relationship with ourself in the world. Welcome Sarah. Hi Sarah. Welcome to the Team Flower podcast. I'm so delighted that you're here. We're going to be sharing your story with Team Flower today. How are you doing?

Sarah Lim - 02:01 - Hi Kelly. I'm really loving it here on having to chat to you and I'm so happy that you, um, have us online today. I'm good. I just came back from Europe. Absolutely raring to go.

Kelly Perry - 02:15 - Oh, how fun. Did you have a good trip? Where were you traveling? Uh, yeah. I went to Switzerland and Amsterdam as really cold, but I see lots of blooming two lives and sucarass around. It's wonderful.

Sarah Lim - 02:37 - Yes, I did. I went there and I went to the tulip garden there, happens to open its door on the day before I left and I just

Kelly Perry - 02:37 - Keukenhof is that what it's called?

Sarah Lim - 02:37 - Yes. Keukenhof. Very nice cooking.

Kelly Perry - 02:52 - Oh, fantastic. Yes, I was there last April just about maybe two weeks from the time that you were there. So how fun. I love the trip. Yeah, I'm really neat place.

Sarah Lim - 02:52 - Absolutely.

Kelly Perry - 03:07 - Well, from what I, from what I understand, you've got a bustling shop and flower school in Singapore. Give us a little glimpse inside your studio, in your shop, what are the various clients that you serve and the products or the projects that you take on?

Sarah Lim - 03:24 - Okay. Well, Poppy, I'm basically, we a have a shop in this place called Summerhouse is actually a place inspired by nature with lots of greens and we have edible gardens and we had this little corner that we have a retailing of flowers and bouquets, so during the weekends, this really a lot of people that comes by and you know, a grab bouquets and bunches of flower or they can have a really nice time doing some hustling themselves. They pick up from our bar and then they start doing flowers themselves, uh, is really a nice, um, sites when you really know that people in Singapore actually getting to love flowers more and trying to get this living in their life, which I think is really awesome. Um, we've been trying to change this for the longest time. You know, how pragmatic Singaporeans are. They only buy things that is not a thing, but now they are trying to, getting used to enjoying flowers and nature, which I'm very happy about.

Kelly Perry - 04:19 - Wow, that's a wonderful. So you said you have a flower bar there, so it's kind of set up and they get to come in and put their own flower arrangements together, I bet they really loved that.

Sarah Lim - 04:29 - Yeah, it's really nice and then it's all decked out. People come and take photos, become a head, the hands onto flowers, so it's really exciting.

Kelly Perry - 04:41 - Yeah. Yeah. I love that concept. Giving them the opportunity to actually get their hands in it and to experience nature and just sort of fall in love with the magic of that and all the photos. What a great idea. I love that concept. Will they do anything that I love about your shop is your blog. It's really, really fun. You have so much fun, interesting content to share and there's two posts that I would love to chat about on the show today. The first one is about the poppy market event that you offer and on that blog post that I was reading about the poppy market, it says a little bird once said that every child is born an artist. The problem is remaining and artists when he or she grows up and you offer a solution, you offer a way for people to continue being an artist once they've grown up through this poppy market. That sounds a little bit similar to the Flower Bar, but I bet it's just on a bigger scale, tell us a little bit about how it works and what your attendees love about it.

Sarah Lim - 05:37 - Yeah. Um, I think everybody's born an artist. It's just that they get lost in hustle and bustle of life. So we are an advocate for creativity. So we try to aim and make it as easy as possible and convenient for people in Singapore here to really enjoy and appreciate nature and other beauty and um, especially, you know, a nature mother nature. I mean, she's such a beautiful, um, artists and then we are trying to let more people appreciate them and we believe that you can unlock your creativity without spending too much money. You know, that's why create a poppy flower market day. So for this we actually provide a little back up for, on the customers whereby the appear marginal cost and they can just have a buffet of flowers that you can choose. Um, and then after that they can bring back and arrange is an opportunity for them to arrange it themselves, to feed their soul.

Sarah Lim - 06:41 - With some happiness having some blooms around their fingertips, so basically unlocking creative potential that you can be a floral artist with the selection of blooms that you come and choose over at our floor like a date and a, this is a spin off, um, because we understand that people actually deep down inside do appreciate nature a lot. It's just that life catch onto fast and it becomes, you know, too busy and then, you know, they don't get the convenience, they don't have the time. So trying to do this to change how people perceive flowers in their life, making as a extension for their own life so that, you know, um, they get to live in flowers.

Kelly Perry - 07:27 - Wow. That's a really beautiful picture in the whole idea and philosophy behind it is so encouraging and something that I hope that some of our listeners, if it's a good fit for them, might pick up and implement in their communities as well. So that can continue spreading that love of flowers all over the world. Yeah. Now another fun project that's on your blog that I really loved is the press flower nail art. This is my kind of nail art. Could you tell, could you tell our listeners a little bit about how they would use flowers in nail art? What are, what are the steps or what would be a good flower to use for that project?

Sarah Lim - 08:15 - For the nail art flowers, we basically tried to extend life flowers that you know are probably had dried up a little bit or maybe you can actually look for a little loose and then them in between a book overnight, leave it to dry and then you can start painting our nails. We have a light base color, like a base coat, so once it's dry you can gently stick the blooms that you have pressed overnight onto the nail. I mean I've tried it with a eucalyptus as well, which is quite cute. And then let it dry completely. Once you've done that, you still your entire nail using a transparent top coat and then you have a beautiful set of new at that is inexpensive.

Kelly Perry - 09:02 - Yeah. That's very fun. Um, I was wondering if you would mind sharing, I noticed that you did a flower card collaboration with Kate Spade. You did like a little flower cart pop up. Um, is there any advice that maybe just tell us a little bit about you, but about what you did and maybe if you have any advice that you'd give someone who's seeking to connect with similar clients? Maybe they're, I'm in a city and they've seen something like that and they're like, oh, I'd really like to provide or make connections for a company like that. How does that work?

Sarah Lim - 09:34 - Okay. Well Kate Spade, uh, it was a project a or other collaboration that we have with them because they find us, um, very similar and very like minded in terms of brand personalities and the directions. So Kate Spade is a bit naughty, is a very quirky and it's very floral. So what we did with them was having a little flower cuts at station which reaches their retail shop, uh, on several occasions. Like for example, during Valentine's Day, during mother's Day or during a launch of this spring, summer collections, you know, when they have a new collection or floral dresses and print. So we'll go in and then we will, there was a, we have a cut over at a retail place and we will do the flowers relevant for the spring summer collection and um, we will be like a chase of Kate Spade's a product and then you get a free bouquet of flowers that especially in a nicely curated by asked which will be given out to the clients or the guests. So it's actually pretty, um, like, um, I would say is hand in hand in terms of the branding and I'm the artistic feel and the inspirational direction they were going together.

Kelly Perry - 11:01 - Yeah. Perfect. That's so fun. And they just, do they find you because of your location and Singapore or how are you able to connect with them?

Sarah Lim - 11:12 - Um, they find us mainly because they liked the, the artistic, an inspirational aspect and we put forth in terms of a flower, the way we curate our flowers, the flower, um, art that we put forth, which is very, um, similar to what they offer in terms of their vision. Okay, sure. Yeah.

Kelly Perry - 11:36 - So it will be very like minded in terms of aesthetics.

Kelly Perry - 11:40 - Yes. So for, in terms of people trying to connect with brands like this, uh, we have um, several connections. We have uh, several fashion brands as well. People like estee lauder origins because it's very organic, very botanical. So, uh, these are also very like minded in terms of what we do in copy as well as what they are trying to put forth into their product, slight floral inspired, cosmetic flower inspired face mask, stuff like that. So, um, I think putting a big emphasis and giving yourself a clear direction in your brand or how you find clients that are like minded.

Kelly Perry - 12:23 - Right? Yeah, that's great advice. Thank you for sharing that. Um, you've got a great apprenticeship program set up. Would you mind telling us a little bit about that? And what would you tell maybe a flower friend who's listening, who would like to get a program like that started in their area? What questions should they ask themselves to see if it's a good fit for their business? Things like that.

Sarah Lim - 12:47 - Okay. Uh, apprenticeship program basically, um, is actually a foreground, uh, before, uh, we actually employ somebody and had them working with us is actually 18 days program and that they can, um, learn understudy and what we've, our team, um, we will qualify people over 18 days and I definitely want them to, I'm sure that creativity to find loving and uh, you know, um, their self discipline and the passion for flowers. So in this program, the, we are able to look through what their passion will bring them and whether they are a good fit we Poppy to be able to work here. Um, it is basically a arrangement that does not require you to be already a florist to attend our apprenticeship program. You basically need to be okay. Even your fresh in this aspect is fine. So we are very open to having people with a fresh look, even you're not from the industry, you are welcome to come for an interview with us and it was a great opportunity for all those who wish to find out more and how it feels like to be a florist, whether it's a longterm career or a part time career with us.

Kelly Perry - 14:13 - Oh, that's fantastic. I love that you also offer many exciting opportunities to study with you in Singapore beyond the apprenticeship program, so workshops and the flower school, things like this, people who may be coming in and um, then then starting other starting businesses and other parts of the country or the world. Tell us a little bit about this program and who attends and what are some of the goals and outcomes of this program?

Sarah Lim - 14:40 - Oh, we had a few, um, floral programs, mainly a dance floor foundation, uh, which is actually a foundation. Cost is designed for beginners. We should take the first step into floristry. No prior experience is needed. It is usually one on one where we teach them and then it's a full lesson. So once it gets through the foundation, you will want to have more. So we had a soprano, which is a bouquet focus costs, and it's designed for those who wish to push the limits and knowledge about flower bouquets. They learn to do three different types of bouquet, mainly like hand tied, cascading convocation, presentation in case. And then, um, we also offer people with a creative focus costs, which is, um, reinvention costs, which they reinvent what they think about flower and try to learn more in depth about individualism, orijen original originality, and discovered a unit director in hand tied bouquet flower arrangement.

Sarah Lim - 15:47 - So we would prefer student with floral foundation to come into this course because the focus will be on conceptualizing a personal style rather than, you know, getting you into the basics. And we had this long course which is called intensive floral, which we helped to train people who are very interested to do a flower business. So they get to know how to have a comprehensive floral learning like a firm foundation to intermediate. So wedding intensive. And of course we include module two, which is a business approach where they can actually learn the in and out about business, about supplier and yeah, and the dealing of how to be in a creative industry like this.

Kelly Perry - 16:35 - Wow. That sounds so fantastic and incredibly comprehensive. You've done a really great job with that. I love all of that. But tell us a little bit, if there is somebody who is coming to travel internationally and maybe has never even been to the continent of Asia before, would, is it difficult to get to you? Like if someone from the states or someone from Europe wanted to come over, um, and, and maybe learn a little bit about how flower arranging works in Singapore, would it be difficult for them to get there and to take some of those classes with you or would you recommend another direction for them?

Sarah Lim - 17:15 - Oh, we do have students that travel from Australia, Korea and Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong. They comes and take our courses. So, um, these are people who make an effort to fly down all the way to do some artist, not of us, but we do have, um, I've been coming for the future that we're trying to do online courses, which it will be easily accessible for people over at Europe or America, you know, you don't have to fly all the way here. You can just do online, which is also as good.

Kelly Perry - 17:53 - Uh huh. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Cool. Well, I'm really excited about all of that and it's been so fun to have you here on the show today. Is there anything else that you have coming up or anything else that you'd like to share with our listeners today?

Sarah Lim - 18:07 - Thank you, Kelly for having me today. Uh, I feel that I'm just some last words. I think the magic of passion and, uh, had been playful on in your company will bring you somewhere no matter what you do in the flower industry or in any creative industry. So what we are happy to do next is to create more online courses so that all our curator causes will be able to be assessed internationally by people who are keen and have a passion to join us in this industry.

Kelly Perry - 18:39 - Fantastic. And thank you so much for all of our listeners who've been tuning in today. It's been great to have you on the Team Flower podcast. We'll see you next time. If you'd like to follow Sarah's journey, check her instagram at poppy flora studio. That's poppy. P O P P Y Flora F l o r a studio s t u d I o. thanks for listening. And remember the deep importance of the work that you do. A flower is not just a flower. You lift people, you give hope and you inspire.